Djokovic free but Australia deportation threat still looms

Melbourne — Novak Djokovic on Tuesday warmed up for his bid to win a record 21st tennis major at next week’s Australian Open, hitting practice shots at Melbourne Park, but he still faces the threat of deportation from the country.        

A week after he arrived in Australia, Djokovic finally reached the tennis court after a judge on Monday quashed the federal government’s decision to cancel his visa.

But the world No 1 could still be detained by the federal government for a second time and deported. Immigration minister Alex Hawke’s office said he was still considering whether to use his discretionary power to cancel Djokovic’s visa.

“In line with due process, minister Hawke will thoroughly consider the matter,” a spokesperson said, declining to comment further due to legal reasons.

Australia has a policy barring non-citizens or non-residents from entry unless they are fully vaccinated against Covid-19. It allows for medical exemptions but the government argued that Djokovic, who is not vaccinated, did not provide adequate justification for an exemption.

The court ruled Djokovic was treated unfairly by border force officials on his arrival and ordered his visa cancellation be overturned. It did not, however, address whether his exemption — based on Djokovic contracting Covid-19 in December — was valid.

Djokovic’s plight drew international attention, creating a row between Canberra and Belgrade and fuelling heated debate over mandatory Covid-19 vaccination policies.

Public opinion in Australia, which is battling an omicron wave of infections and where more than 90% of the adult population is double vaccinated, has been largely against the player. Melbourne endured the world’s longest lockdown and Victoria state has Australia’s highest number of Covid-19 deaths.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s office said he spoke with Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic on Monday and explained Australia’s non-discriminatory border policy. Serbian media reports said Brnabic emphasised the importance of Djokovic being able to prepare for the tournament.

Djokovic, who expressed his gratitude to the judge and his determination to compete at the first major of the year in a Twitter post on Monday, did not publicly address the situation on Tuesday.

He was filmed by media helicopters practising at Rod Laver Arena amid tight security at Melbourne Park. He was also confirmed as top seed for the event.

The ATP, the governing body of men’s tennis, applauded the court ruling, saying the dispute was “damaging on all fronts, including for Novak’s wellbeing and preparation for the Australian Open”.

The Australian Open begins on January 17. Djokovic has won the tournament, one of four tennis Grand Slams, for the past three years and nine times in all.

Spain’s Rafa Nadal, who is tied on 20 majors with Djokovic and Switzerland’s Roger Federer, called the fraught build-up to the tournament a “circus” and said the “fairest decision” had been made.

Nick Kyrgios said while he supported vaccination, he felt “embarrassed as an Australian athlete, seeing what this guy has done for us and the sport”.

However, former American player turned pundit Pam Shriver warned on Twitter the controversy may not be over: “If he plays the booing will be deafening.”

Melbourne resident Keith Moore told Reuters: “We’ve had to go through vaccination protocols and lockdowns for such a long time and he swans in and pretty much does what he likes because he’s the world’s best tennis player.”

John Alexander, a member of Morrison’s Liberal Party and a former professional tennis player, said a new decision to deport Djokovic would diminish the status of the Australian Open.

“We had previously been the poor cousin of the four events,” he said. “We’ve got a lot going for us, but we need to treat it carefully.”

Reuters